Fluid motor with piston actuated reversing valve means



Jan. 13, 1959 c. L. GRAYBILL FLUID MOTOR WITH PISTON ACTUATED REVERSING VALVE MEANS Filed NOV. 4, 1955 EL /NTDN L. ERAYB u. L

INVENTOR.

4 A 'r r Y United States Patent "O "1ct,

FLUID MOTOR WITH PISTON ACTUATED REVERSING VALVE MEANS Clinton L. Graybill, Superior, Mont.

Application November 4, 1955, Serial No. 545,067

1 Claim. (Cl. 121-123) This invention relates to improvements in sprinkling systems and more particularly to a fluid pressure responsive motor for operating a water distributing control valve.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a motor for roperating a valve mechanism of this character adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure and to at least two separate and remotely disposed sprinklers of any conventional type -for alternately supplying water to each in equal amounts and at intervals so timed as to allow all the water distributed by the sprinklers to permeate the soil of a given area without any wasteful run-E.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a valve mechanism as aforesaid which is of simple, efficient, durable and inexpensive construction, automatically actuated by internal water pressure, and positive and economical in operation and timing.

The foregoing and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specication, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fluid pressure responsive motor made in accordance with my invention and connected to a twoway water distributing valve forcontrolling the same.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure l with fragments broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 3 is a sectional end view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing:

In Figure l reference numeral 1 indicates a valve housing internally bored and threaded as at 2 and 3, respectively. A piston valve 4 is slidably mounted within the bore 2 above a by-pass 2A and backed by a compression spring 5. The housing is provided with an inlet 6 and two outlets 7 and 8 all in communication with the bore 2. The housing 1 is threadedly attached as at 9 to the closed end 10 of a fluid pressure responsive motor comprising a cylinder 11 within which is slidably mounted .an actuating piston 12 shouldered as at 12A and provided with an O-ring 12B. The piston 12 is formed integral with a shaft whose one end is round as at 13 and reduced in diameter for a portion of its length as at 14 and at all times in contact with the piston 4. The opposite end 15 of the piston shaft is shaped as shown in Figure 3 and slidably embraced and stabilized against rotation by a guide 16 extending inwardly from a closure plate 17 for the cylinder 11. The shaft portion 13 is slidably iournalled through the end wall 10 of the cylinder 11.

2,868,177 Patented Jan. 13, 1959 tically as at 19 and terminates in a seat 20 for a ball valve 21 having a pin 22 extending therethrough and attached at its ends to the ends of a pair of opposing tension springs 23 whose opposite ends are connected to arms 24 carried -by the closure plate 17 and extending to the interior of the cylinder 11. The inner ends of the arms 24 terminate at points below the top surface of the piston shaft 15 (see Figure 3) so that the ball valve 21 will at all times be under downward tension against the top surface of the shaft 15 between a pair of tracks 25 formed therealong. An exhaust port 26 extends from a valve seat 27 on one side of the piston 12 to the opposite side thereof as at 28. Drainage from the cylinder is obtained through openings 29.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

From the foregoing it will be seen that water pressure entering the cylinder 11 from bores 19-18 and by-pass 2A will force the piston 12 to the left and that in the absence of such pressure the spring 5 acting on piston valve 4 will force the piston 12 to the right. During movement of the piston 12 to the left the ball valve 21 will be held on its seat 27 by the springs 23 to enable pressure to enter the cylinder through bores 18--19 and lbuild up back of the piston. The instant the piston valve 4 and piston 12 arrive at their full line positions shown the ball valve will -be snapped rearwardly from the seat 27 and onto the seat 20 by the pull of the springs 23. The resultant opening of the exhaust port 26 will allow all the water in advance of the piston 12 to drain out through the openings 29. The piston valve 4 and piston 12 will then before-ed by the spring 5 in the opposite direction to the extreme right. Upon reaching this position the springs 23 will instantly snap the ball valve 21 from the seat 20 back onto seat 27. With the bores 18--19 now open, water pressure will again accumulate back of the piston to repeat the cycle of operation just described. Obviously, movement of the piston valve 4 to the right and then to the left will alternately open and close the outlets 7 and 8 to correspondingly supply water to the sprinklers to which they are connected.

This novel function of the device renders it particularly well adapted for sprinkling areas where drain-off is rapid since it delivers only intermittent amounts of water capable of absorption by the soil being dealt with.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves toI others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having thus describedmy invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A fluid pressure responsive motor comprising a cylinder closed at both of its ends, a reciprocating piston within the cylinder, said piston having a shaft extending to the interior of the cylinder and to the exterior thereof, said shaft having a bore open at its exterior end and adapted for communication with a source of lluid pressure and in communication at its opposite end through a valve seat with the interior of said cylinder, said piston shaft having an exhaust port open to the interior of the cylinder on both sides of the piston and terminating at one of its ends in a valve seat in spaced relation to the rst mentioned valve seat on the same side of the piston as the first mentioned valve seat, a downwardly springurged ball valve 'adapted -for vengagement with the valve seat nof'said Iexhaust port to close the same and thereby allow fluid pressure to enter the cylinder through the other valve seat to force the piston in one direction and to engage the rst mentioned Valve seat at the end of the piston travel to allow escapement of the iiuid pressure through said exhaust port, and said cylinder having openings therein located on the opposite side of the piston from the valved bore opening for discharging `the exhausted uid apressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cotield Nov. 12, 1907 Stewart Mar. 5, 1929 Parks Mar. 28, 1933 Brown Feb. 20, 1951 Nesham Sept. 1, 1953 Adams Jan. 11, 1955 

